Ordinary Rwandans are struggling to understand the latest numbers the government put out about the country’s economy. Officials say the economy is stable and growing. People in the villages say they are hungry.
In every sector, families talk about the same thing. There is not enough food. Some have started calling the hunger “Hagarara ikurye.” It means stand still and let it eat you. They say that is what it feels like. You work, you plant, and still the hunger stays with you.
In Rwandan culture, there are certain taboos that are strictly forbidden. For instance, it is considered taboo to openly state publicly that you are hungry. Instead, you are expected to endure silently, until you manage to find food. Therefore, when Rwandans actually start voicing their hunger, it is a sign that the situation has become truly dire.
In Rubavu District, some residents say they now eat only once or twice a week. They do not say this for drama. They say it because that is how the week goes. Children and adults both feel it. Clothes hang loose on people who used to fill them. On TV1 Rwanda’s broadcast of 10 November 2026, some callers referred to the hunger as “Wandodeye nabi.” It means you have woven my trouser poorly for me. The clothes no longer fit because the body has become smaller.
This is not the first time Rwanda Freedom of Speech has written about the starvation problem. The earlier report already described how ordinary people were skipping meals while official statements kept talking about progress. The new GDP announcement has made the gap look even wider.
Most people who spoke about it point to poor planning. For years the authorities pushed farmers to grow one main crop according to the province. They also stopped people from using wetlands that used to give good harvests. In some places local officials even ordered farmers to uproot crops that were already growing. Those wetlands were once the land that kept many households going when the hillsides failed. Now the rules are tighter, and the food is scarcer.
People who question the published development reports risk being called enemies of the country. Many stay quiet. They hear the official numbers on the radio and then look at their own empty stores. The contrast is hard to ignore. International media mostly repeat what the government releases. The daily complaints from the sectors rarely travel that far.
The same complaints come from different provinces
In the west, families talk about failed seasons and high food prices. In the south and north, people mention the same restrictions on what they can plant and where. In the east, drought has hit again and relief arrives late. The names change, but the hunger does not.
Under the Rwanda Freedom of Speech vision, the way forward is simple. The government should refrain from forcing single crops that do not match the land or the weather. Allow people to use the wetlands responsibly again instead of treating them only as government schemes. Let farmers decide what grows best on their own plots. Publish the real numbers of how many households are missing meals, not only the growth percentages.
The government should tell the truth about what is happening in the rural sectors. Only then can Rwandans look for solutions together. Right now division makes that harder. Those who left the country cannot easily bring money or skills back to start businesses and create jobs. Those still inside, fear speaking about the empty plates. When people cannot help one another across that divide, the hunger lasts longer.
Rwandans already know what the problem feels like. They named it. The question is whether the official reports will ever match what people see when they open their kitchens.
Our Voice . Our Freedom